We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » Keep an eye out for change
Direct Connection

Keep an eye out for change

October 18, 2019
Rick Blasgen
No Comments

Adapting to the ever-changing supply chain landscape requires vigilance. What that means in today's terms is that you need to keep a strategic eye on macroeconomic trends, advancements in technology, and consumer expectations that have the potential to become either rallying points or disruptors to your business.

Indeed, there are many issues facing you today—such as trade wars, autonomous fleets, crowdsourcing, and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement—that you were not dealing with five years ago. But in spite of recessions, natural disasters, and border issues, supply chains still need to roll on. Which means that if you don't evolve quickly, you die. That may sound a little harsh, but if you don't shift and adjust with the landscape, you will wither and someone else will fill the void.

Despite the growth and positive momentum within our field, being a supply chain professional today isn't easy. It requires that we be open to anything, because change is inevitable. Sometimes you need to see the world through a different lens, adjust your perspective, and eliminate blind spots. Innovation knocks infrequently, so you've got to consciously open the door and welcome it in.

Being a supply chain leader requires the ability to focus part of your brain on the future and the other part on routing freight, for example. You need to be able to work at both ends of the spectrum, from the strategic to the tactical. That's a rare skillset, as most people tend to be either strategic or tactical by nature.

So, you either need to be both or hire both, growing and assembling quality talent is the key to a successful future in supply chain.

Supply chain is still, after all, a people business. All of the whiz-bang trends and technologies are great, but people are greater. If your team is high functioning, if everyone understands their specific role, is trained to perform it, and collaborates effectively, then the company benefits and the individual benefits.

As your professional organization, it's our responsibility to help prepare you for what's coming. We promise to be a supply chain influencer, providing the highest quality research and education to improve the profession.

Whether you're a supply chain practitioner, an academic, or a student, CSCMP cares about you, your professional development, and your success. We take our job as the custodian of the supply chain industry very seriously. CSCMP believes we have an implicit obligation to be caretakers of our discipline and advance it wherever and whenever possible.

Strategy
    • Related Articles

      Navigating the generational divide

      The year of the member

      Never stop learning

    Rick Blasgen is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).

    Recent Articles by Rick Blasgen

    A final farewell

    Look to your leaders

    Planning ahead

    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Most Popular Articles

    • Wabash opens trailer manufacturing facility in Indiana

    • Six defining challenges of omnichannel fulfillment

    • Postal advocacy group says “excessive” July 9 stamp price hike will hurt consumers

    • California bill would require large corporations to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions

    • Panorays extends risk management throughout the digital supply chain

    Featured Video

    8757b894 244c 4429 b5d8 e6df7b479d82

    Penalties for Wood Packaging Material Violations

    Viewer Contributed
    Our Services Include: Customs Broker Denver Freight Forwarder Denver Global Logistics Denver Cargo Insurance Denver Customs Bond Denver Customs Clearance Denver Customs Duty Denver Isf Filing Denver More details: Phone : 281-445-9779 Email: info@gallaghertransport.com Website: gallaghertransport.com

    FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

    • Five questions to ask before electrifying your indoor forklift fleet

    • Operator assist system myths busted

    • Three layers of forklift safety: Promoting operating best practices

    • The Complete Guide to Automated Packaging

    View More

    Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

    Get Your Subscription
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • E-NEWSLETTERS
    • ADVERTISING
    • CUSTOMER CARE
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT
    • STAFF
    • PRIVACY POLICY

    Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing